"Mr. Magorium" strains to be Wonder-ful

Divided into storybook chapters, the film begins at "the beginning of the end" for Mr. Magorium, who, at age 243, is preparing to depart this earthly plane because -- well, enough is enough, and he’s out of shoes. For the past 113 years he has run the titular establishment, a sort of enchanted indie FAO Schwarz. Hoffman plays the toy impresario in teased ’do and unruly eyebrows and with a wispy, silly voice. The performance isn’t a flat-out miscalculation like Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka, but as oddities go, it’s more distracting than compelling.

Magorium plans to bequeath his shop, a storefront/house sandwiched between skyscrapers, to its manager, Molly Mahoney (a convincingly tentative Portman). At 23, she’s a onetime musical prodigy who feels stuck, unable to complete the concerto she’s been trying to compose. She has a fondness for Emporium regular Eric (Zach Mills), a sweetly geeky 9-year-old who has a knack for invention and troublemaking friends. He tries out his nascent social skills on Henry Weston (Jason Bateman), the accountant Magorium has hired to put his finances in order. Being an accountant, Henry is necessarily an impassive sceptic who can’t accept that magic exists. He will, of course, be convinced.

For her part, Molly can’t accept that her beloved boss is leaving. Neither can the store, whose red walls begin turning gray -- decor body language for a sulk. The books and stuffed animals start acting out, too, until full-fledged magic mayhem forces Magorium to close shop temporarily.

Within the Crayola-hued profusion created by production designer Therese DePrez and costumer designer Christopher Hargadon, there are lovely fillips, and visual effects designer Kevin Tod Haug brings high-spirited contributions to the low-fi fantasy. There’s not a PlayStation 3 in sight but plenty of such delightful diversions as a squeak-toy gavel, a nervous Slinky, a room full of bouncing balls and a particularly expressive sock monkey.

Until the final sequence, though, the phantasmagoria is mildly charming rather than wondrous. That wouldn’t be a problem if the characters had more substance. Chanting a pop-psych carpe diem mantra, the film can’t find its own pulse. Helping to set a pace is the lush score by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman, but its ooh-ahh insistence isn’t enough to truly entrance.

Cast:

Mr. Edward Magorium, Avid Shoe-Wearer: Dustin Hoffman

Molly Mahoney, the Composer: Natalie Portman

Henry Weston, the Mutant: Jason Bateman

Eric Applebaum, the Hat Collector: Zach Mills

Bellini, the Bookbuilder: Ted Ludzik

Mrs. Goodman, Who Wants the Store: Kiele Sanchez

Screenwriter-director: Zach Helm; producers: Richard N. Gladstein, Jim Garavente; executive producers: Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane; director of photography: Roman Osin; production designer: Therese DePrez; music: Alexandre Desplat, Aaron Zigman; co-producer: Barbara A. Hall; costume designer: Christopher Hargadon; visual effects designer: Kevin Tod Haug; editors: Sabrina Plisco, Steven Weisberg.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter